The Spirit with No Spirit
by newbienovelistRD
Summary: Phanty asks for Spider Man's help when he get into a scare slump.


Spider Man wasn't having a great day. After a serious beat down from the bad guys and getting dissed by J. Jonah Jameson, he just wanted some time to relax.

Even if it's just for a few minutes.

The webslinger was almost to his aunt's house and almost until a transparent figure appeared in front of him.

"Spidey! Spidey! I need your help!" It was Phantasma, a ghost girl who befriended Spider Man on Halloween.

"Phanty? What's going on? I'm about to call it a night." Spider Man said.

"I'm sorry. But my dad is in trouble!" Phanty grabbed her friend's shoulders. He shivered at her ice cold touch.

"Trouble, huh?" Spider Man sighed. "It's just one thing after another. So, what's wrong? A villain has kidnapped him or something?"

"No, my Phantom father is depressed. I was hoping maybe you can help me cheer him up."

"Huh? Your father's depressed? Why would you come to me?"

Phanty frowned, a very uncharacteristic trait for the hero to see. "You see, my father was assigned to scare a family that moved into an old house. But he couldn't scare them!"

"What?! Couldn't scare them?!" Spider Man was shocked. "What do you mean couldn't scare them?! Your dad's a ghost! The terrifying ghost I've ever seen! Well, next to you!"

"Thanks. But when my dad couldn't scare them, he fell into a slump and he's not the frightfully fun dad I used to know!" Phanty hugged the human. "You have to help my dad! You're the only miracle worker I know!"

At that moment, Spider Man completely brushed aside his desired day off. "Alright, Phanty. I won't let you down!"

"GREAT! WAHAHAHAHAAAAA! LET'S GO!" She yanked his hand and flew over the city.

"WHOOOOOOOOOA! SLOW DOWN! I'M NOT A GHOST! SLOW DOWN!" Peter shouted over the high speeds.

* * *

Phanty brought Peter to her house. "Here we are!"

Spider Man just stared, slack jawed. One minute he was in New York, then after one big blur, he was standing in front of the creepiest houses he's ever seen!

It was a house perfect for a family of ghosts. Along with the dead trees that seemed to reach out to Peter with it's bare, gnarled branches.

Spider Man could literally feel his knees shiver. "Uh, this is where you live?"

"Yep." Phanty pulled him to the front door. "This way."

The teenage boy felt instant fear stepping inside Phanty's spooky mansion. He gulped hard. "S-So, where's your dad?"

"Upstairs. He saw been sulking for almost a week! We have to do something to lift his spirit!" Phanty said. "Do you know what happens when a ghost gets depressed?"

"Uh, no. What?"

 _"WOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"_

Spider Man screamed at the sound of that horrid, spine-chilling moan. He felt goosebumps immediately rise up his arms.

"I-I-I s-see w-w-what you mean." Peter stammered.

"He's been wailing and moaning like that for days! We have to do something!"

"But what can I do?! Your dad's being scary and he's not even trying! I can't imagine another ghost scarier than him-"

Phanty gasped and squealed with delight. "Spider Man! THAT'S IT!"

Spider Man jumped and flinched away. "What's it?!"

The ghost girl grabbed his hand again. "Follow me!" They flew up the stairs and went all the way up to the attic.

"This is where my dad keeps his haunting props!" Phanty said proudly.

Spider Man couldn't believe his eyes. There were strange costumes and spooky looking stuff everywhere! He tripped over a blood-stained sword and a skeleton fell on top of him.

Spider Man tried to move the skeleton off of him, but when he grabbed it by the ribs, the skeleton giggled!

"Careful, Spidey! William's very ticklish!" said Phanty.

Shivering, Spider Man picked up the limp skeleton with his fingertips and moved him aside. "I'm gonna need some serious therapy time after this..."

"Let's see..." Phanty browsed through each mannequin for the right costume. "Ah-ha! Here's the one!" She went to a suit of armor, took the helmet and jammed it on Spider Man's head.

"HEY!" Spider Man yanked the helmet of his head. "Would you mind explaining your rationality behind this?!"

"It's easy! If you impersonate a ghost wanting to take over our home, Father will gain his confidence and scare you out of here!"

Spider Man looked at the helmet. He already knew Phanty was already excited for this plan. So instead of arguing with her, he decided to just give it a go. "Alright..."

"Good! You get dressed and when I give the signal, a great big BOO! Then you come down the stairs and act scary!" Phanty flew downstairs.

Within the foyer, Phantom Father wailed out another miserable moan as he sulked deeper in his chair.

"Father,"

The phantom looked over to see his daughter float over to him. "Are you alright?"

"Just in a grave mood, dear."

Phanty hugged her beloved father. "You'll always be scary to me, Father. I know for sure that whether it's a human or ghost, you just give them a BOOOOOOOOO! And you'll send them running!"

Hearing the signal, Spider Man clanked down the stairs. However, it was difficult in the suit of armor.

"Okay, Spidey. Let's get into character!" The hero raised his arms and made deep growling sounds.

 _'Huh. This ghost thing is kinda fun!'_ Spidey thought.

But his fun was cut short as he tripped over his metal feet and stumbled all the way down to the bottom of the stairs.

"How pathetic." a grim voice bellowed.

"Hey! Don't be so harsh! I gave it my best-" But when Spider Man looked up. He saw not Phantom Father, but someone worse.

"Taskmaster?!" Spider Man blurted, fumbling to his feet. "What are you doing here, Skull face?!"

"I was going to make this mansion my hideout. But since you're here, I might as well have the pleasure of defeating you." He lunged for Spider Man and the hero dodged. Spider Man tried to fight him back with a flurry of punches and kicks, but the villain easily dodged them and retaliated with savage punches and kicks of his own, knocking the hero down.

"That was slip! Wasn't a knockout!" Spider Man snapped. In his defense, he was wearing clunky old armor.

"You cannot beat me, Spider Man." Taskmaster scoffed. "I know all your moves, your skill set, everything. You don't stand a chance."

"Oh, yeah?" Spider Man grinned. "Well, can you copy a ghost?"

"A ghost? If you're trying to scare me, you're sadly mistaken." Taskmaster bellowed. He raised his fist to attack again, but he felt a cold, lifeless hand grab his wrist and hurl him into a wall.

Taskmaster growled as he staggered up. But what he saw chilled his blood.

Phantom Father leered his dead eyes at Taskmaster. "It's bad enough Spider Man is impersonating a ghost. Now, intruders are mocking death!"

Taskmaster tried to get away, but Phantom Father flew faster than a shot and went right into Taskmaster's body.

Spider Man watch in fear as Taskmaster's body shot up and smashed against the ceiling, the floor, and the walls until the phantom hurled himself out of his body.

Phantom Father saw Taskmaster get up, but his knees were quivering.

"What's wrong? Scared?" the phantom hissed.

"Y-You don't scare me!" Taskmaster tried to teach the door, but Phantasma came up and blocked his escape.

"THEN WHY ARE YOU RUNNING AWAY?!" Phantasma wailed. "HAAAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!" She launched himself toward the villain.

Taskmaster tried to run into another room to make his getaway.

"Not so fast!" Spider Man chased after him.

But then, Phantom Father came up through the floor and towered over the costumed mortals. He was the size of a giant!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Both Spider Man and Taskmaster screamed.

"Going somewhere?"

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Taskmaster was about to go out of his mind. He tried to run again but Spider Man webbed his feet to the floor.

"We'll take it from here, Spider Man."

Recognizing that voice, Spider Man turned to see Nick Fury. "We've been after Taskmaster since he escaped a month ago!"

SHIELD agents cuffed Taskmaster and took him away.

"Are you sure you have to take him away, Mister?" Phanty asked. "We have a nice dungeon to keep him in!"

Nick frowned. "Nice offer, but we made improvements on his cell. We won't get away this time." He turned to Spider Man wearing the suit of armor. "Do I even have to ask what's going on here?"

Spider Man shook his head. "Nope."

"Thought so."

With Taskmaster taken into custody, Spider Man thanked Phantom Father on a scare well done.

"Way to go, Papa Phantom!" Spider Man said. "You scared Taskmaster out of his skull!"

"And you!" Phanty mentioned.

Embarrassed, Spidey sighed. "Yeah, and me too..."

Phanton Father laughed. "Well, I couldn't have done it without you, Spider Man. Seeing you fight that awful man was just the confidence I needed to scare a soul."

"Really?"

"Sure. You're better at that than being a ghost." Phantom Father chuckled.

"Hey! You try scaring someone in this tin tuxedo!" Spider Man protested. He gulped seeing the ghost's smile.

"Very well..." Phantom Father phases through the armor, removed it off Spider Man, then the helmet opened it's visor and roared at Spider Man with glowing red eyes.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAH!" Spider Man jumped into Phanty's arms.

Phanty giggled. "Still got it, Dad!"

Phantom Father laughed proudly. "Sure do!"


End file.
